COMMENTARIES
  • IPCS Discussion: Malaysia Elections 2013
    Asma Masood    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3942    ·    Commentary    
    Aparupa Bhattacherjee, Research Intern, SEARP, IPCS The Malaysia Elections took a surprising turn when Pakatan Rakayat (PR) was denied the victor’s crown despite gaining the majority in total votes. Barisan Nasional (BN) formed the ruling...
  • Bhutan: Democratically Challenged?
    Marian Gallenkamp    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3941    ·    Commentary    
    There are a number of analysts and activists who would strongly reject the question mark at the end of this commentary’s title, and instead replace it with an exclamation mark. Then there are others, whose romanticised vision of a last &ls...
  • Bhutan: Is Democracy a Reality?
    Kunkhen Dorji    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3940    ·    Commentary    
    According to the government of Bhutan, the first historical election on 24 March 2008 was a huge success, and democracy is on the right track in the Himalayan kingdom. But many are critical of such analyses and assert that it is a controlled dem...
  • India, China and the American Pivot: Should New Delhi Reassess its Strategy?
    Anu Krishnan    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3939    ·    Commentary    
    India has been playing a passive role in the US pivot. Does the recent incursion in Ladakh by China alter this role? Should India perceive the American pivot as an opportunity and use it to its advantage? Will such a strategy antagonize China fu...
  • Sri Lanka: Why are the Tamil Refugees Not Returning?
    Prof. V. Suryanarayan    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3938    ·    Commentary    
    A few years ago, Kasi Ananthan, the Poet Laureate of Tamil Eelam, wrote, “How long may we stay in another man’s land?” He added, “The parrot and the woodpecker may return to their nests without hindrance, but we, the Tami...
  • India and China in the Arctic: The New Great Game?
    Ramesh Ramachandran    ·   18 May, 2013    ·    #3937    ·    Commentary    
    Energy rivalry took India and China first to Central Asia and then to Africa. Now, they are scrambling for resources and attendant benefits on the icy slopes of the Arctic. On 15 May 2013, the two Asian giants were made observers in the Arctic C...
  • India and China in the Arctic: Breaching the Monopoly
    Vijay Sakhuja    ·   18 May, 2013    ·    #3936    ·    Commentary    
    China’s long wait for a ‘permanent observer’ status in the Arctic Council, a top-level intergovernmental regional body, is finally over. At the Eighth Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna in Sweden, the Arctic Council (five Nordic cou...
  • Li Keqiang’s Visit to India: What Promise does it Portend?
    Rajaram Panda    ·   18 May, 2013    ·    #3935    ·    Commentary    
    The Prime Minister of China Li Keqiang who assumed office in March is arriving in India from May 19 to 21 as part of his first round of overseas visits after becoming Prime Minister. He also travels to Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany. He clubb...
  • IPCS Discussion: Deciphering China's Endgame
    Rana Divyank Chaudhary    ·   16 May, 2013    ·    #3934    ·    Commentary    
    Jayadeva Ranade The Defence White Paper issued by the People’s Republic of China in 2013 is the latest in a series of these official documents first published in 1998. It is a declaratory unveiling of the capacities and intentions of the ...
  • Pakistan Elections 2013: A Preliminary Analysis
    D Suba Chandran    ·   16 May, 2013    ·    #3933    ·    Commentary    
    Finally, the much anticipated elections for the National Assembly along with four Provincial Assemblies got over last week. While the results are clear in terms of who won and how many seats, it would take few weeks to identify the major trends in...
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